Yesterday the University of Illinois announced that it has hired Dr. Jacki Thompson Rand as the inaugural Associate Vice Chancellor for Native Affairs and Senior Adviser to the Chancellor on Native Affairs Issues. Dr. Rand is an historian and member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, with decades of experience in academia and at the Smithsonian Institute.
This hire begins to make good on the promises laid out in the “Native American Imagery Implementation Plan.” According to the annoucement:
Dr. Rand will serve as the university’s Tribal Liaison to help the campus establish and maintain respectful relationships with Native American Nations and help our university adopt standards and strategies appropriate for Native tribal and Indigenous community engagement. In this role, Dr. Rand also will collaborate with the NAGPRA Office in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation, which is responsible for upholding our university’s commitment to the repatriation of our Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian collections in consultation with tribal communities and lineal descendants.
Top image by Anna Longworth.
